TLDR: I need cargo shorts that have a similar design to Duluth’s jeans, as I need high flexibility and comfort. However Duluth’s shorts are poorly reviewed by a lot of people online so I’m looking for alternatives. I’m looking for flexibility, not stretch.

Budget: shooting for $50 a pair. No more than $80 would be preferable.

Full post with full context: Pretty much the title. I’m a relatively large man (wide not tall), particularly in the thigh department, but I’m really flexible and light on my feet. I don’t like feeling like my movement is restricted. I have never found shorts comfortable. I never really found normal pants comfortable either until I found Duluth jeans. Until then I’d wear cheap store brand golf pants because while they would break within a year they were cheap enough that I could afford to replace them. Now I’m making an active effort to lose weight, which means I want to be walking around outside more in general, not just running and working out. Duluth jeans are pretty heavy for summer wear as I’ve come to discover. However a bunch of people online seem to believe that Duluth is only good for the jeans now, and the rest of their lineup (shorts and construction wear) is kinda garbage. However I cannot go back to cheap, uncomfortable clothes anymore.

The main thing I like about Duluth when compared to other “flexible jeans” is that it’s not just that the material has stretch. In fact when it comes to jeans that are advertised as flexible they’re one of the more rigid out there. It’s that their construction is designed to be flexible. Duluth jeans have a massive gusset that not only gives a lot of room in the crotch, but also gives them a comfort and flexibility level that rivals my sweat pants. Other flexible jeans I’ve tried, both cheap and expensive, are just stretchy, which means that while they are flexible, they get really tight and squeeze on the family jewels a lot. But with Duluth I can do a full splits no problem. That’s what I want from my shorts. I know it’s kinda extreme to want that, but I squat down a lot, especially when we’re out and about with my son and he wants to show me the cool stuff he finds on the ground. Any pants/shorts that do not pass the splits test often squeezes my tender bits too much during the squat. That or my Brazilian proportioned ass and thighs tears through. That’s what happened to the last pair of shorts I wore and I was about 60 lbs lighter.

In terms of style, I think I want cargo shorts. I like having pockets and I don’t mind leaning into the fatherly aesthetic. In fact my spouse encourages it. Bonus points for some good nice looking T-shirts/polo shirts.

Also I realize that I’m praising Duluth a lot in this post, but they literally changed my worldview on jeans.